Of Foxes and Ferrets
by Alias Erotavlas
Summary: After a near-death experience with a hostile villager, an eight-year-old Naruto runs into a mysterious woman. With eachother's help, they will make it through emotional trials in the present, future, and even the past. Sorta AU. Rating prone to change.
1. Hypothermia

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Naruto.**

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**Of Foxes and Ferrets**

**Chapter 1**

**Hypothermia**

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He cowered in the corner as the villager advanced, the hatchet raised above his head.

"This is for my son!" the man yelled as he brought the weapon down, intending to finally kill the 'demon spawn'. But the pain never came.

The child looked up to see a person with their back to him. They were holding a kunai, keeping the hatchet at bay.

"How pathetic," they said coldly, "Attacking a defenseless child. What has this world come to?"

"Shut up! This monster killed my son," the man shouted angrily, "It's time for him t-"

Before the man could finish, the figure was behind him. They delivered a chop to his neck, effectively knocking him out. Turning slightly, the stranger spoke.

"You're safe now," their bright yellow eyes burned through the darkness of the alley, "Go on, go back home."

The child shrunk back into the wall behind him, "Wh-who are you?"

The figure sighed and lowered the unconscious man to the ground, then they turned to face the boy.

She was breathtaking. Her medium-length black hair was choppy, but that didn't make her any less beautiful; in fact, it gave her a rather rustic beauty that set off her bright yellow eyes perfectly. To further her beauty, her lips were perfect and red, just like an apple. All her features were further set off by her perfectly-tanned skin. She wore civilian attire, but she managed to make that look glamorous as well. To say the boy was transfixed was a bit of an understatement.

"Didn't you hear me, kid?" she growled, ruining the angelic picture the boy had painted in his mind, "Get out of here."

He jumped at her cold tone, but obeyed. He ran as fast as he could out of the alley and spared spared a look back, but the woman was gone.

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The minute Naruto left the alley, it began pouring. His usual hyperactive demeanor didn't hang about him, doused by the days events. Now, he was thoughtful. He thought about the woman. About why she saved him. Who was she? Was she a kunoichi? It sure seemed that way considering the how she moved when she took out the rogue villager.

There was a pause in his thoughts long enough for him to sneeze and wipe his nose with his sleeve. He was starting to get cold. Really cold. His clothes were soaked all the way through and the wind was blowing.

Naruto whimpered as a particularly violent gust plastered his wet t-shirt to his back. His blonde spikes quivered and flopped back into their new slicked down position which, unfortunately, was right in front his eyes. He fiddled with his hair for a few minutes, trying to keep his bangs out of his eyes, not really paying attention to where he was going.

His foot caught a loose root in the pathway and he fell flat on his face. The mud below him squelched when he hit. Instead of yelling and complaining and getting up, he just sat there. He was too cold and too wet and too _hungry _to move. His last meal was about two days ago when old man Ichiraku had taken pity on him and given him a free, all-you-can-eat, meal.

He considered just sitting there, letting himself catch hypothermia and just be out of the way. Everyone treated him like a burden, a monster, a demon. It would just be easier to get out of their hair and just…just die.

But…but he hadn't become Hokage yet! Why was he thinking like this? He had shinobi training to complete!

Naruto hopped up from the ground and made to take a step forward. His knees, however, had different plans. They buckled beneath him and he fell back to the ground, this time on his back.

"ARGH!" he screamed, attempting-and failing- to stand up. He struggled and yelled a few times more before slamming his fist into the mud. It didn't really succeed in doing anything except make him even dirtier.

Why couldn't he get up? Naruto wiggled uncomfortably, realizing that his limbs were beginning to go numb. He began kicking his legs and flailing his arms, but did little more than make a spectacle of himself.

"You're just a glutton for punishment, aren't you?" An amused, voice asked from somewhere behind him. Naruto didn't need to look to know that it was the woman again.

He wanted to make a snippy remark, but had no time to do so. In the short five seconds it took Naruto to recognize her, she'd disappeared, reappeared right next to him, and thrown him unceremoniously over her shoulder.

"Hey!" Naruto yelped as the woman began walking away, the young blonde slung over her shoulder and umbrella overhead, "Hey, you crazy old bat, put me down!"

In reply he received a sharp jab from the woman's shoulder, "Kid, if you don't shut it, I'll drop you right here and you can catch hypothermia-" at this Naruto sneezed "- you already have a cold."

Naruto growled, but didn't say anything. If only he could move his arms! Then she would be sorry! Especially when he became Hokage. Then she'd have to listen to and respect him, same as everybody else!

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Naruto had expected the trip to only be a few minutes. Instead, it took at least twenty. Not that Naruto noticed. He was fast asleep before even ten minutes had passed. The woman had shifted him into a more comfortable position after he fell asleep and re-adjusted the umbrella so that it covered them better as she ran.

She ran much faster than a civilian, but the way she moved suggested she could move even faster. The rain bounced harmlessly off the umbrella with gentle ptap ptaps. She arrived at the endge of the village in a matter of minutes. The gates were closed for the night, but that didn't faze her. She channeled chakra to her feet and shot into the air. Halfway up, her feet met concrete. Her chakra took hold of the wall and helped propel her up the wall. She paused at the top, checked the sleeping eight-year-old in her arms, and jumped.

She fell the several hundred feet to the forest floor, but landed with the grace of a bird of prey descending on its next meal. However, she did not run this time. Instead she calmly walked into the towering trees. She walked until she came upon a wooden hut. Smoke was curling up from the chimney and there was a soft glow coming from the inside.

The door creaked as she pushed it open.

"Ah! Hitomi-chan!" A larger-than-normal ferret jumped up from its position curled up in front of the fire. It made to jump onto the woman's shoulder, but stopped when it saw Naruto, "Woah, Hitomi-chan, I didn't know you were the type to kidnap children."

Hitomi glared at the furry pest and set Naruto on the couch.

"I didn't kidnap him," she said, the irritaion in her voice barely noticeable, "He's an orphan…And I told you not to call me chan."

The ferret ignored her last statement, "You never struck me as the type to adopt, either."

"Dorobou, if you're not quiet," she paused as she moved into another room to grab a blanket, "-then I'll make you sleep outside."

"Aw, but Hitomi-chan~!" Dorobou squeaked, causing Naruto to stir slightly and Hitomi to glare at the rodent.

"Shut up," she sighed and draped the blanket over Naruto, "If he wakes up, tell me." And then she left the room.

"Dorobou do this, Dorobou do that, Kami forbid Dorobou get any rest," the large ferret muttered as it hopped onto the couch next to Naruto.

"I heard that," Hitomi said. Dorobou fliched.

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**A/N: *Hangs head ashamedly* Gomenasai. I know I haven' written anything recently and starting a new story seems like a bad idea, but I had a massive brain fart. This was sitting half-finished on my laptop so…here it is!**

**Fun fact: In this story Hitomi's name means beautiful virtue in Japanese. However, it has two definitions. Hitomi can also be translated to pupil of the eye. Weird, huh? Maybe I'll have a chapter where Naruto and Hitomi make fun of each other's names.**

**I hope none of you are too upset,**

**Alias E.**

**UPDATED/EDITED 6/14/12**


	2. Shut Up, Gaki

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!**

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**Of Foxes and Ferrets**

**Chapter 2**

**Shut Up, Gaki**

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Naruto yawned and turned over slightly, burying his nose in the pillow beneath him. He took a deep breath and his body went lax again. The pillow smelled really good- like burnt wood and some sort of spice he couldn't identify. Absently, he tugged the blanket around his legs up to his nose. It smelled nice too. And the bed he was sitting on was so soft. He didn't think he'd ever been so comfortable in his life. He snuggled into the cozy, good-smelling bed as far as he could. His bed in his apartment was never this comfortable.

No, never.

Never...

Naruto's eyes shot open. This wasn't his apartment. He looked around, trying to figure out where he was. He didn't recognize it. In fact, this place was a lot different than any other place he'd been(which wasn't saying much, but still).

To start, the place was almost completely made of wood. The table, the chairs- heck, even the house itself was made of wood. The only things that weren't wooden were the fireplace, the couch he was sitting on, and a painting hanging above the mantle. His eyes moved towards the kitchenette behind him. His eyes lit upon a bowl of fruit.

His stomach growled involuntarily.

The person who owned this place wouldn't mind if he took an apple or something, would they? The young boy swung his legs off the couch, knocking a cushion off in the process. Naruto wouldn't have noticed it except...

Except that it squeaked when it hit the floor.

And then it moved...IT MOVED.

"Ouch! Jeez kid, give me a warning next time, would ya?"

And it talked. A _talking_ pillow.

The thing turned around and Naruto realized, with no small amount of relief, that it wasn't a pillow. But it was something. Something huge. It was a-

"Ah! Talking weasel!" he shouted, climbing as far away from the 'weasel' as he could.

"Oi! I ain't a weasel! I'm a ferret," the creature snarled, teeth bared.

At the petrified look he got from the kid, though, the ferret relaxed. He hopped back onto the couch and curled his tail around his black feet, "The name's Dorobou."

Naruto stared at Dorobou with wide eyes, his gaze unwavering. Then-

"Sugoi! I've never seen a talking ferret before!" he gushed, sitting back down on the couch, "Do you have awesome shinobi skills? I've heard that shinobi animals can talk. Are you one of them? Could you teach me anything cool? Is it true that-" Dorobou cut off Naruto's nearly-never-ending line of questions.

"Jeez, kid, one question at a time." The large ferret seemed irritated. At least he did to Naruto. Secretly, however, the mammal was pleased. Someone actually cared enough to hold up a decent conversation with him. In fact, this kid wanted to actually know about him. Hitomi hadn't cared that much in years.

Naruto scratched the back of his neck, grinning sheepishly, "Heh, sorry Dorobou-er..." he tried to come up with the proper suffix for the the fuzzy creature before him.

Dorobou waved his paw dismissively, "Forget the suffixes, kid. I'm just Dorobou."

Naruto nodded and continued his sentence, "Sorry, Dorobou. It's just...I've never met a talking ferret before. Heck, I've never even met a _animal_ before."

"Meh, s'ok kid. I mean, I _am _pretty awesome," he smirked at this, fangs showing ever so slightly. His smirk faded, however, when a yawn came from behind the door on the other side of the room. The door swung open to reveal a very disheveled looking woman. Naruto almost immediately realized who she was.

"Hey, you're that old lady from yesterday!" he yelled, pointing an accusing finger at her.

A kunai imbedded itself in the wall a second later, taking a few strands of blonde hair along with it. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, staring at the deadly weapon impaled in the wall behind him. One more inch to the right and he would've been dead.

"One: don't call me old- ever," she growled, "Two: don't shout so early in the morning. Three: my name is Hitomi, not old lady," Naruto opened his mouth to say something, but Hitomi didn't give him the chance, "And no, you may not call me Ferret-chan either."

Naruto huffed and crossed his arms, "You're no fun, Tomi-chan." He stuck his tongue out at her.

Hitomi sighed, "Shut up, Gaki." At this Naruto jumped off the couch.

"Hey! I am not a brat! Just you watch, I'll be the next Hokage and then you'll have to treat me with respect, dattebayo!" Hitomi twitched at the blonde's signature phrase, but she didn't show any sign of responding.

At the lack of response, Naruto huffed, "Fine, ignore me. But once I'm Hokage, you'll have to acknowledge me!" He turned to leave, but stopped when Hitomi spoke.

"Is that all it is to you?" Her voice was soft, but there was something there that Naruto couldn't identify.

"Eh? What are you talking about, Tomi-chan?" Naruto asked, turning to face her. She had her back to him, facing one of the photos on her table. She didn't seem bothered by the new nickname.

"Is that what being Hokage is to you? Gaining acknowledgment from others?" Hitomi reached out to touch the picture, "How selfish."

Naruto couldn't believe his ears. Selfish? She had no idea what it was like to have no one. To be left all alone. To be called demon spawn. How could _she _call _him_ selfish? How is being beaten daily selfish? How is having no family, no one to care, selfish?

"What do _you _know?" he half-yelled, "You've never been Hokage. How would you know what's selfish and what isn't? How would you know what I've been through! I've been called a demon, devil spawn, and the devil himself! How is wanting people to care about me selfish!" In his rage, Naruto had pulled the kunai out of the wall and thrown it across the room. It missed terribly, but the satisfying sound of it hitting _something _calmed him a bit.

"I'm not saying that wanting people to care about you is selfish," her voice was barely audible now, "I'm saying that becoming Hokage just so people will acknowledge you is selfish. The Hokage is the strongest shinobi in the village. He protects his village, just like all the other Kage do. He has to be strong, intelligent, and have fighting experience," she moved over to him and bent down, so that she was looking him in the eyes, "They have to have leadership skills and charisma. They have to understand their people," her eyes softened, "They have to be kind and gentle and have a big heart," then she smirked slightly, "and they have to know how to throw kunai."

And just like that, the tension was gone. Naruto smiled.

Then his smile turned into a grin.

Then his grin turned into a laugh.

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Hitomi didn't know how the gaki did it, but he did. Somehow, the little knucklehead had gotten her to teach him how to throw kunai. To be fair, she had set herself up for it with her Hokage speech and all, but it didn't mean she wasn't irritated. And Kami knows that the kid was plenty irritating. On the other hand, if he decided to go through with his Hokage dream, he already had his charisma skill down. If he asked a bridge to jump off of itself, it'd do it.

She sighed and began drawing in the dirt. The kid had been at it for nearly an hour now and he was hardly able to hit the outer ring of the target. She stepped back to examine her dirt drawing. It looked like a bunch of random scribbles in the dirt. Sighing in disappointment, she stood.

"Alright, Gaki," Naruto twitched at the nickname, "Let's see what you're doing wrong." She moved to his side and told him to throw another kunai. He did so and hit the very edge of the outermost ring. Hitomi frowned and repositioned his fingers.

"Now, when you throw it, don't throw it with your fingers," she leaned down and picked up a kunai from ground, "Flick it with your wrist." She threw hers and it hit dead center.

He tried to mimic her throw, but it ended up missing completely. Naruto grabbed his hair and yelled in frustration, "Argh! Why can't I get it."

Hitomi sighed and laid a hand on his shoulder, "Gaki, you can't expect to get it right away. Besides, you moved your ring finger just before you threw. It's supposed to be here," she moved it into it's correct position.

He stared intently at the weapon in his hand for a minute, then he turned to the target once more. He brought his hand back and flicked his wrist, letting his fingers release it at just the right moment. It flew through the air and hit the target.

Right on the second ring from the middle. Naruto cracked his eyes open. It took a moment before he realized his achievement. A wide, fox-like grin spread across his face.

"Yeah!" he cheered, "Hitomi-sensei, did you see that?"

Said woman smirked, "Yeah I did. And maybe if you keep your eyes open next time, you'll be able to hit the bulls-eye."

The boy growled at her, but looked pleased nonetheless. Hitomi's eyes shone in amusement. She ruffled his hair and sat back down.

* * *

"I'm hungry, Tomi-chaaaaan~!" Dorobou whined from his position curled up beneath one of the many trees surrounding them. Hitomi looked up at the sun. Half past noon. They'd been working since eight.

"Alright, Gaki!" Hitomi called, "It's time for a lunch break."

Naruto had made a lot of progress since his epiphany several hours ago. Now all of his kunai hit inside the first three rings on the five-ringed target. The boy's progress was sluggish compared to that of a normal student, but that was understandable. Nobody had been around to teach him the basics. Including the academy teachers, who's job it was to make sure he knew what to do, neglected him. He needed someone to teach him. Maybe she'd have to do that.

Hitomi blinked. Where had that come from? She was teaching the kid how to throw kunai, that was all. Nothing more, nothing less. She sighed, knowing that wasn't the case. She would have to train him. There were only a few people in the village that could see beyond their nose. Among which were the Sandaime, Ayame, and Teuchi. But the Sandaime was so busy and Ayame and Teuchi weren't shinobi, so the job was hers. Besides, she owed it to a few people. Naruto's response to her call for food, however, brought her out of her thoughts.

"Hang on, Hitomi-sensei! One more try!"

She shook her head and walked inside her house. She pulled a few cups of instant ramen out and heated the water. Once the kettle went off, she poured the water into the cups and took them outside. After setting one down in front of Dorobou, she sat down with her own; Naruto's sitting on a tree stump not too far from her.

"Yo, Gaki, if you don't get over here, I get your share of the ramen," at this, Naruto seemed to break out of training mode. He ran over and grabbed his cup. He cracked open his chopsticks with a quick 'Itadakimasu' before devouring his noodles like a ravenous monkey devours bananas.

Hitomi shook her head. She had a feeling she would be dealing with this gaki for a _long time._

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**A/N: Greetings my loyal readers! Sorry I haven't been updating lately. I don't really have any excuse, just laziness. I have to say, I've been doing _a lot _of sentimental stuff, haven't I? Kaze no Miko has a lot of them because it's necessary to the plot development. Well...it's necessary for _all _of my stories, but...that means all my stories are sentimental. Hmm, weird.**

**In all honesty, I've never written Naruto before. Since he's a kid it'll be easier, but I'm planning on having him be smarter than in canon. The one thing I will keep, however, is his personality. What a lot of Smart!Naruto fics fail to do is keep Naruto's personality in check. He usually becomes an arrogant jerk like Saskue, which bothers me. I don't like Saskue. Anyway the whole point of Naruto having a personality like that is so that he can make people trust them and convince people to believe in themselves. If Naruto didn't have that personality, I probably wouldn't have been interested in the series at all. He'd be too much like any pretty-boy from any anime (Lelouche, Light Yagami, Kurama, Hiei, etc.). There's a reason why they're secondary characters, or have huge emotional trials, or possibly even both. If Naruto became that way, I think I'd shoot my computer to put it out of it's misery(if you haven't noticed Dark!Naruto and Smart!Naruto fics bother me). And what's up with some fanfics having him _acting _happy-go-lucky. I think that if he actually _was _acting, he wouldn't be able to accomplish what he has. Besides, he acts like that because he inherited his mother's attitude. He may look like daddy dearest, but when it comes to personality, his is definitely her's. Oh and to those who may think that Hitomi accepted accepted Naruto too fast, this was done ON PURPOSE. Reason 1) Naruto has natural charisma skills. He convinced Garra, someone who was positive that he was a monster and had to murder everyone, that he didn't have to be a monster. He makes you trust him. Reason 2) Hitomi has quite the back story. In fact, I'm considering writing a prequel to this to show Hitomi's life before she met Naruto. Anyway, Naruto reminds her of a few people she knew way back in the good old days, kinda like the whole thing with Tsunade and how Naruto reminded her of her dead boyfriend and brother. Yep, schist is gonna happen.**

**Anyway, I've come across major writers block for Kaze no Miko. I decided to update this because I'm following a new personal policy: One chapter of any story a week, no matter what. I'm also re-writing the first chapter of Lost Memories and jazzing up the first chapter of this story, as well. Hopefully, I'll be able to do that before I go on vacation next week. But don't worry people! I'll type up the next chapter on my iPhone so I'll have worked on it(if my parents don't kill me with tourism first x_x).**

**Well, bye! :3**

**Alias E.**

**P.S. Over two thousand words! Yea! Woo! Hooray! Hoo-rah! Er...I'll shut up now.**


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